Naki's Tale
by TheCorpseGarden
Summary: They went after her knowing that she knew where her family's special weapon was. They went after her knowing she had nowhere to go. They preyed on her heart by slaughtering her family and forcing her to leave. What will she do now? "SHHHH! She's waking up! No one wants to hear you two talking about stupid shit!"
1. Hysterical Misery

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own my OCs.

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**CHAPTER ONE: HYSTERICAL MISERY**

"-traitor. I mean, why the hell would you be sneaking around outside the village at night... and then pass out?"

"Who said she made herself pass out, you idiot? Are you saying people_ actually_ do that!?"

"No need to get excited, I was just throwing out possibilities."

"Allerrac, you need to get your ass kicked. You're always saying stupid shit and trying to justify it."

"Hey, calm the fuck down! We don't know the situation so we shouldn't be making assumptions yet."

"I really hope you're not telling me to calm down, Spar. I don't want to have to punch you in the nose."

"Punch _me_ in the nose? You couldn't punch spaghetti, Neros."

"Why the fuck would I be punching spaghetti!?"

"SHHHH! She's waking up! No one wants to hear you two talking about stupid shit!"

"...Are you really trying to fuck with me, Allerrac?"

Naki's eyes fluttered open and she saw only white. She closed her eyes again and then reopened them to see black silhouettes with the white, and blinked one more time to get her brain to process the shapes. The faces were blurry at first, but at least they appeared to be human - that was a huge relief.

"Hey, she's finally awake!" Naki heard the cheery voice of a young man.

The blurriness faded quickly, and she soon processed the face along with the voice. The man could not have been older than nineteen. He had short black hair styled with short bangs over one side of his face, and the most genuine smile she had ever seen. His eyes, too, held something special, as they were hazel brown and vibrant. He had tanned skin, like hers, and made her feel welcomed upon her awakening.

"Are you hurting anywhere?" Naki looked over to find a young girl's face, probably the same age as the young man, with concerned blue eyes and snow white skin. She had mid-length black hair that tickled Naki's face, and the face of a troubled older sister.

"I don't think_ I'd_ be hurt if_ I_ knocked myself out in the woods." Naki winced at the sarcastic tone, and looked to see another young man with long golden hair gazing at her with sceptical blue eyes. Unlike the other girl and the other man, his face had nothing kind about it. He had a short blonde beard as well as a matching moustache, and made Naki want to look away in fear. Before she could say a word, the young girl spoke up again.

"What's your name, can you talk?"

Naki struggled to sit up in her resting spot and took another good look at the people around her. The genuine young man wore a loose black t-shirt with grey sweatpants, fitting for his slender body. The young girl wore a loose black sweater and tight black pants, also very fitting. The rude young man, though, wore a black tank top with a clan symbol on the front, along with black jeans. On top, he wore a black cloak that made him resemble Dracula. Naki wondered if he would suck her blood, or turn into one hundred bats and fly at her. She gulped.

"I'm..." Her eyes wandered across the young girl's face. "I'm Naki."

The girl smiled warmly and outstretched an open hand. The two boys did the same. Naki wondered if this was some sort of twisted mating ritual.

"I'm Sparrow. Call me Spar, if you like." The black haired girl shook her hand loosely and flashed her the thumbs up.

"I'm Neros. You can call me Nero, or N, or whatever." The young man gave her another genuine smile that made her heart flutter.

"I'm Allerrac. Call me Allerrac." Naki did not want to shake his hand, but he grabbed it anyways and shook it with force. Sparrow shook her head and waved a dismissing hand at Allerrac.

"Damn, someone's a bitch." She said. Neros nodded.

"Yeah, we think he's on drugs and stuff."

Allerrac glared at his two friends and shook his head with a smug smirk. He said nothing. Naki was beginning to dislike the blonde already.

"I'm sure you had a good reason to be out in the wood at night." Neros continued. "Sometimes I like to walk around there, too." Allerrac scoffed at the kind boy's attempt at socializing.

"Yeah, guys. Going into the fucking woods at night is a great idea. We should start doing it as our nightly ritual and see what shit we can stir up in there."

To this, Sparrow covered her mouth while giggling. Neros simply pressed his lips together tightly and shook his head with disappointment. It wasn't that he didn't find Allerrac's jokes humorous, it was that he was trying to contain himself in front of their guest.

"This is why you don't have a girlfriend, Allerrac. It's because you're a giant dick."

Allerrac shook his head and laughed along with Sparrow.

"Well, wouldn't I have a girlfriend with such a big dick?"

Neros gave him a disapproving glare and tried to not giggle himself. He wanted to give a good impression to their guest.

Naki looked in disbelief at the beings in front of her, confused upon hearing their pointless banter about penises, drugs, and girlfriends. She was never used to human contact or friends of any sort; her life had been very isolated. Her sister and parents had rarely been around, and the other children seemed to stray away from her. At first she thought they were weary due to her constant frown, but she later realized that there was more to it. She sat up and leaned against her pillow, looking at Sparrow and over to Neros.

"I'm Naki. I-I-It's short for... Naki... mi." She said quietly. She wanted to hit herself for not being good at socializing. Her stutter would surely get on their nerves. "I...I didn't re-really have a g-good reason for... for... for being i-in the woods at n-night..."

"Hey, you stutter a lot. Cut it out." Allerrac was the first to speak, more rude words spilling from his mouth. Shiina glared at him and sighed.

"Ever think that people might not be able to help the way they talk, Al?" She murmured.

"Ever think that I might not like the fucking name 'Al', Spar?" He muttered back.

The two moved closer to each other, each baring stern facial expressions. Naki thought there was going to be a fight. The blonde boy looked like he meant business, and Naki had a sinking feeling that he had the gall to hit a girl. The girl, however, looked slightly reluctant to move closer, as if she didn't necessarily want to hit anyone. Once the two were right in front of each other, hell broke loose. Allerrac brought his hands up to Sparrow's curves and began to tickle her until she fell to her knees with laughter. She was battling with him, trying to shove him away, but failing. Naki couldn't believe her eyes.

Neros was careful to keep his distance as he moved a little close to Naki's bed. He looked at her and shrugged, as if to tell her that shenanigans were common in their house, but she still couldn't comprehend anything. She'd thought for sure that there would be a physical fight instead of a tickle war. Physical fights were common, something she was used to. Tickling was an enigma.

"So why were you in the woods again?" Neros snapped the poor girl out of her thoughts.

Naki saw he wore another of his genuine smiles and lit up inside. Neros made her feel as though she were an important individual, someone she wanted to talk to, instead of the destructive little tyrant that she was.

"W-Well..." She cleared her dry throat, wondering where to begin. "Well... I... uhmn... I came from the rock village... you know... Iwagakure... and..." Neros raised a hand for her to stop.

"I hope you realize we live in the Land of Fire, not very close to the Land of Rock." He said.

She nodded and continued on with her story. She wanted Neros to believe what she was going to say and hear her out.

"I-I know. I-I-I didn't run here f-from... Iwa... My family was on the border o-of the Land... of F-Fire when I came h-h-here. Wh-Wherever I am..."

"You're in a small village quite a while away from Konoha." Neros replied. "But that still doesn't tell me why you were in a forest at night." He handed her a glass of water that had been set on a table beside her bed. "Drink up and fill me in."

Naki took a sip, savouring the cool feeling of the liquid sliding down her sore throat. She wondered how long she had been unconscious for and when the last time she'd eaten was. More importantly, she wondered why Neros was being so friendly to her despite just meeting her. After all, he didn't _have _to talk to her and none of them even had to rescue her from the forest. It was hard to Naki to believe the kindness that surrounded her. It made her feel nice to be included into great group of people.

"I-I was r-running." She said upon placing the half-empty glass back on the table. "I was... being ch-chased by some b-bad guys."

Neros' eyes widened. He quickly turned to Sparrow and Allerrac, who were still wrestling on the ground, and managed to call them over. They rose and placed themselves next to Neros, gazing down at an alarmed Naki.

_'Did I say something bad...?' _She wondered. _'Or are they out to get me as well...'_

"Okay, guys." Neros clapped his hands together as if he were a teacher trying to keep order in a classroom. "Naki told me why she was running in the woods." The two listeners nodded.

"Give us the epic _Reader's Digest_ version of the story." Sparrow demanded.

Neros nodded. Naki looked confused.

"Okay, so... She's from Iwa, the Land of Boulders and Rocks and Hard Stuff." Allerrac stifled a chuckle upon hearing 'hard stuff'. "Her family was like, 'let's make a house on the boarder of the Land of Hot Stuff'. So they did. One day, Naki decided she was going to run through the forest because some nasty banditos were after her. She somehow passed out. Allerrac found her. Now she's here."

Naki's face was priceless. Neros had just turned her terrifying story of being chased and being born in Iwagakure into some epic joke to display to his friends. She wasn't sure whether to take it as a personal attack of something she, too, could laugh at.

"Wait, banditos? What kind of banditos?" Sparrow questioned with a smirk.

Neros turned to Naki and tilted his head in query. Naki didn't want to answer. She was afraid to answer. She knew that if she told them who had been chasing her, they might kick her out of their house or turn her in. She didn't have anywhere to go and she didn't know who to trust. She just wanted to keep her mouth shut and stay with the kind people for a little longer.

"I... I... I don't k-know..." She whispered. "But... they were b-bad..."

"Is your... family okay and shit?" Allerac asked, strangely curious.

Naki was a little hesitant to answer, still on edge after being asked who had been chasing her. Asking if her family was okay also put her on edge. She thought that was an odd question to ask.

"Th-They're... They're deceased..." She managed to sputter.

For some reason, her family dying didn't bother her as much as she'd thought it would. Quite the contrary; she didn't feel much different.

_'I guess the pain will come later... or something...' _She thought.

"...From the bad guys...?" Neros asked, wearing an expression of discomfort.

Naki nodded and looked away. She didn't like it when people looked at her that way. It made her feel as though she did something wrong or was inferior. She'd received that stare one to many times from her mother and sister.

The room was silent for a long time. No one moved and no one wanted to. Everyone was absorbed in their thoughts and opinions. Naki thought about the people surrounding her. Neros and Sparrow thought about the pain of losing a parent. Allerrac thought about Naki and whatever intentions he thought she had.

"Well... I don't know what to say to that..." Neros finally said, breaking the suffocating stillness. Naki glanced at him. "I want to say 'I'm sorry', but that's not enough..."

Sparrow nodded and cleared her throat.

"I agree." She wanted to place a hand on Naki's arm, but restrained herself in case the girl didn't want to be touched. "I lost my parents a few years ago to some bad guys, as well."

"As did I. But as a child." Neros added.

Allerrac closed his eyes and said nothing.

Naki looked at her two similars and wanted to smile at them. She couldn't, of course, as she didn't know if smiling would be correct in their current situation. Nonetheless, she gave them a stern nod to acknowledge their losses and feelings. She felt as though she could relate to them, despite not feeling the sorrow of her loss just yet. She felt as though they were the people she always saw in her happy dreams; the people who always accepted her and loved her for who she was.

A tear tread down her face. Sparrow wiped it away with her hand.

"I hope you'll stay here with us for a while... until you feel comfortable, at least." She said with compassion in her voice. She looked at Allerrac and Neros to confirmation her statement.

"I have no problem with it." Allerrac said, much to Naki's surprise.

"Neither do I. I think that's fair." Neros agreed.

The sun was setting and the trees gained long, black shadows. The air carried the smell of chocolate and fresh grass, and the houses grew quiet.

On the outskirts, two men watched the small village, concealed by branches and darkness. They spied each and every house - waiting. Their cloaks danced in the breeze and the blonde smirked. The other was emotionless.

They would make their move soon.

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_NEXT TIME: Who are these people waiting on the outskirts of the village? What do they want? Who do they want? Who was Naki running from?_

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**Authoresses' Note**

**This is weird because I don't usually write T-rated fics.**

**This is a little side-project I'm doing for an old friend of mine. It's a revision of my first fanfic that I never continued because I thought it was shit. This time, I aim to finish it. Sorry this took so long, Naru. I hope you like it!**

**Review, please? It would make me all happy and motivated to continue and all that good stuff!**


	2. A Cold Night

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Naki nibbled on the apple Neros had given her, feeling her strength come back with every bite. She was surprised to know that she had been unconscious for two days. Sparrow explained that a doctor had come in and checked on her when she was found. There had been second degree burns on her back and arms, but Allerrac had quickly healed them. Her body still ached and her thoughts were still jumbled, but she could faintly recall everything that had happened.

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_There were two Akatsuki members at the door. The rest of the village was up in flames and the stench of death was strong. Naki saw only their silhouettes as they entered the house. She saw that one of them was a puppet user, but the other one's skills were unknown. Her mother cowered in the corner, holding Naki's sister in her arms. Her father was already dead, impaled by a weapon upon opening the door._

_Naki stood at the back of the small two-room house, away from her mother and sister. She was petrified, too scared to move. She was sure she was going to die, and she wasn't sure if she liked that. Her parents had always looked down on her and called her useless but despite their words, she still wanted to live; maybe then she would be able to make herself into something grand._

_"NO! NO!" Her mother cried, holding her favourite child close. "SHE'S STILL GROWING, YOU CAN'T-"_

_Naki didn't want to look. She didn't want to see her family get slaughtered right before her eyes._

_"Where is it... hmn?" One of the villains asked. He was sickeningly calm._

_Her mother pointed at her. Naki felt as though she had been sold out by her own family; God, did that hurt. She mustered the courage to look at her remaining family members. There was betrayal in her eyes, along with fear and disgust. She thought mothers were supposed to care for all of their children._

_"IT'S IN HER! SHE HAS IT!" The wailing woman bellowed. "PLEASE, GOD, PLEASE! JUST TAKE HER AND LEAVE!"_

_Naki didn't think twice. Before her mother had even finished her sentence, she was off. She ran toward the unguarded door and made her way out of the village. There were charred cadavers and fire everyone. The smell was sickening. Behind her, she heard one last cry from her mother and sister. The enemies had killed them anyways, just like they were going to kill her. It was true: she had her family's secret within her. It was powerful and destructive, which was why she had to escape. They would kill her and extract the Jutsu, or keep her alive to serve as a weapon - those were both horrible things. _

_She made it into the forest, but she could feel her chasers gaining on her. She looked back and felt her stomach churn with terror. There was a boy chasing her, catching up on her fast. Overhead, there was something large and white soaring through the sky. They had her trapped by land and air; she lost hope that she would be able to escape._

_The redhead tried to capture her with chakra strings, but she wouldn't let herself be defeated so easily. She whipped to the right just as the energy was about to attach itself to her. She figured as long as she kept making sharp turns, she would be alright. There was a faint sound of something soaring through the air, and Naki looked just in time to see clay birds flying quickly towards her. They were impossible to dodge._

_She found herself sailing through the air when the birds struck her back and exploded. She managed to keep her balance as she flew, rolling and getting to her feet almost instantly. There was excruciating pain, and Naki had to pat her back to see if she was ablaze. Blood oozed from the burns and charred skin, but there was no fire._

_"Time to attack." She heard the boy behind her mutter._

_Looking behind her once again, Naki saw poison needles dart at her with great speed. Fortunately for her, she wasn't watching where she was going and tripped on a tree root. The needles barely missed her as she found herself tumbling down a landslide she had not even expected to see. She made sure to cover her mouth as she toppled down, not wanting to blow her cover when she reached the bottom; she couldn't afford to scream._

_Something hard hit her head and she passed out._

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Thinking back to her tumble, Naki wondered why the Akatsuki members had not captured her. The man that was flying could have easily carried himself and his partner down the cliff safely. They were, after all, skilled criminals.

"Maybe they'll just leave me alone..." She mumbled aloud, not realizing she had voiced a thought. Neros sat across from her and had been glancing over at her every now and again, unsure if she was alright. He figured she was thinking back to the traumatic event of losing her parents, but decided he didn't want to leave her to her thoughts.

"Who are you thinkin' about?" He asked, snapping the girl back to reality like he'd hoped he would.

The girl gave Neros a look of confusion. She had heard him say something, as he had said it loudly, but hadn't heard him properly. The boy repeated himself.

"I said, who are you thinkin' about?"

Naki looked at her hands and was unsure of how to reply. She had only known Neros for a few hours and wasn't really clear on the concept of friendship. Would he push her away if she told him the truth? Would he turn her into the criminals that were after her? She was aware that she was in a small village. She knew that some of the small villages had alliances with the Akatsuki.

"I-I'm..." She bit her lower lip. "I guess I'm just..."

Neros rose from his chair and walked to her side of the table. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to tell me. Don't force yourself, okay?" He said in a low voice.

He wanted to show Naki that she could trust him. He could tell that she didn't have much experience socializing, but he wanted to show her she could be free in their house. He looked down at her curly black hair, admiring its shine, and wondering the true nature of the girl. Naki's brown eyes slowly looked into his and she had to force back a light blush. He was handsome, to say the least, and she had always been deprived of the opposite gender; she wasn't sure how to act around him.

"I..." She took a deep breath. "I-I guess I was... thinking about... uh... the people that killed my family and chased me..."

Neros pulled out a chair closer to her and sat down. He kept one of his hands on Naki's arm.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" He asked.

She nodded before she could say 'no'. She truly did want to tell someone about her tormentors, but found it hard to trust anyone... especially Allerrac. She decided she would keep her voice low.

"You... You can't t-tell the o-others..." She said softly.

Neros looked confused, at her response, but was not angered. Naki decided to explain herself further.

"I... I find it... I find it hard t-to... Tr-Trust... People..." She worded everything as politely as possible. She didn't want to push Neros away by insulting one of his friends.

"I get that, but..." He still looked puzzled. "...can I tell Sparrow, at least? We've known each other for years and I can trust her with my life."

Naki thought about it for a few moments, and eventually nodded slowly. She was unsure of how Sparrow would react, but at least she wasn't like Allerrac. There was something about the blonde boy that she didn't like, and it wasn't just his attitude.

Neros called for Sparrow, who was in one of the other rooms. The house was small, so his voice echoed to every room. The house had a basement with three tiny rooms, along with four rooms upstairs: three bedrooms and a combination of a dining room and kitchen. There wasn't much room for four people, but they had still welcomed Naki with open arms; she felt the need to repay them one day. It wasn't long before Sparrow came trotting out of her and Neros's room. Neros had given up his room for Naki, so he had to bunk with his best friend. Allerrac had his room to himself.

"What's up?" The black-haired girl questioned, casting her glance from Neros to Naki.

"She wants to tell us who was chasing her."

Sparrow sat down in an instant, ready to listen. Naki didn't know if the girl was sadistically excited or horribly worried.

"Go on." She said, folding her hands in front of her. Her face was full of concern, just like Neros's. This only made Naki's heart flutter more from nervousness. She took a deep breath.

"I...I hope you guys... I hope you believe me..." She tried her best not to stutter. "And I'm scared... to tell you because... well, because it's scary..."

Sparrow shook her head.

"If it's that bad, we'll help you through it." She said with serious eyes. Neros nodded while Naki tried not to lose her words.

_'These people are so... kind.' _She thought. _'My family... my own damn family... __**never**__ treated me like this...'_

"I...I was being ch-chased down by some bad guys... Some really bad guys... And I... And I don't know how I... escaped... I don't know how they... didn't find me after I fell down this... big cliff." She looked at her audience of two and felt the power to go on. "They... K-K-Killed my family... Because they were... they were after a secret for their... for their o-organization..."

Upon mentioning an organization, she saw Sparrow freeze. There was a look of fear in her eyes that made Naki uncomfortable. Neros remained calm and looked at the girl normally; he didn't want to make her stop talking.

"O-Organization...?" Sparrow whispered. "...You don't mean..."

Naki nodded gravely and braced herself for an outburst.

"Y-Yes..." She said quietly. "...the Akatsuki... were after me..."

Sparrow slammed her hand hard against the table and rose from her seat. The chair she was sitting in fell behind her. There was malice on her face, something Naki remembered seeing very often. She flinched when Sparrow rushed over to her, sure the crazed girl would strike her.

"Son of a _**bitch**_!" She hissed, placing her hand on Naki's shoulder. "So that's how you got those fucking burns! That bastard bomber!"

Neros rose from his seat at well, standing behind his long time friend. He placed an arm around her in an attempt to quell her anger. Sparrow was one to get worked up very easily and very quickly, and Neros was always there to help calm her down. She shook with rage and her face was flushed. She frowned and pressed her lips together tightly, less than amused.

"So that bastard was after you with his insane fucking partner?" She asked Naki, who was wide-eyed and terrified. She hadn't expected the girl to get mad at anyone but her.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes..." She replied as quickly as she could.

"They killed your family?"

Naki nodded. Sparrow closed her eyes.

"I'm glad you got away." She mumbled. "I'm really glad Allerrac found you."

Naki's world froze at that moment. She took everything Sparrow had just said in, gazing forward with a blank stare. Instead of getting mad at her, she had gotten mad at the Akatsuki. Her parents would have gotten angry with her and punished her - no excuses. Neros, too, looked as though he agreed with his friend. They were both on her side, ready to jump to her aid and make her feel mentally better.

"How did you say you lost them?" Neros interrupted the amazed girl's breakthrough.

"Oh... Uh... Well... I really don't... don't know..." She replied sheepishly, wishing she could have given them more information. "The world went... black..."

"Then they'll probably be back for you..." Sparrow murmured. "...if they really do want you."

That wasn't something Naki had wanted to hear, but she agreed. It wouldn't be logical for the organization to stop targeting her, especially when she was defenceless in a small, unknown village.

Sparrow and Neros sat down again, Neros in a chair and Sparrow on the edge of the table. They both looked to be troubled, but had decided to try to remain calm. Neros locked eyes with Naki. He bore eyes that wanted to tell her something important, something that hurt him.

"My parents were killed by bandits." He said. "They weren't ninja. They couldn't protect themselves. I came home to them... I was only seven... and I vowed that I would train to protect my friends." He cast his glance up to the ceiling. "Spar and I wanted the same thing - to give comfort and protection - and that's how we met."

Sparrow, her back facing them both, nodded. She seemed to have a painful secret of her own that she wanted to share.

"I remember that day, Neros..." She replied. "We were nine when we met and started training together... And you were there when my parents died two years ago, as well." The sorrowful girl finally turned to face them. "Mine were slaughtered by the same organization, Naki."

Naki's eyes went wide. She didn't want to believe that tragedy had struck such kind people, but she could see that they were telling the truth.

"I was seventeen when I came home and saw my parents... torn to pieces by some fucking guy sitting at my kitchen table, praying to his fucked up God." She was scowling, as if the memories were biting her. "He was a pervert... He took one look at me and told me he would come for me one day, that I'd better start training harder. He said he didn't want to fight a weak girl."

Sparrow stopped there, unwilling to give her audience any more details, but that was alright. Naki had heard enough to understand that the people before her were similar to her in many ways. They all strived to become stronger, and had all lost their family to horrific people. The difference was that Sparrow and Neros had been there for each other - Naki was left to fend for herself.

"As for that bombing guy..." Neros said, catching Naki's attention for the umpteenth time. "... Our village has a sort of alliance with the Akat-"

"It's more like a peace treaty." Sparrow cut him off. "That bastard blonde was one of the members that went from house to house, telling the villagers not to disobey. I wanted to beat the shit out of him." She looked disgusted.

"The puppet guy came around with him. He looked bored. I felt like saying, 'if you're so bored, why the hell did you come?'"

Naki wanted to chuckle at this, but held herself back; she didn't think it would be appropriate.

Naki was amazed at how the Akatsuki had wandered from house to house, without fear of being attacked. They were sure of their power - that was for sure.

She looked at Neros head-on, determined to get one last thing off her mind. She knew that she would feel more comfortable once she got her closure.

"But... But wh-what about Allerrac...?" She whispered, unsure where the rude boy was. "Where did h-he...?"

Sparrow turned to face her, a stern look on her face. Neros cleared his throat.

"The truth is... He's only lived with us for a few weeks." He said. "He doesn't really talk about himself, so we don't know anything about him. All we know is that he's a travelling mercenary that's looking for work."

Sparrow nodded.

"He stays with us because Neros is nice and didn't want to turn him down." She looked around, to see if the person they were discussing was nearby. "If you want my opinion, I'd sleep with one eye open around him."

Before Naki could even begin to understand what Sparrow was implying, there was a thunderous explosion outside, followed by the hysterical screams of the villagers. All three individuals looked out the window near the front door, their eyes wide with shock.

_'Oh my god...' _Naki found herself thinking. _'They've found me already.'_

* * *

_**NEXT TIME:** Has the Akatsuki found Naki? Will Neros and Sparrow fight for their new friend? Will good prevail over evil?_

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**Authoresses' Note**

**Thank for reading and thank you to the people that bothered to review! You reviewers were my motivation to write this next chapter and will be my motivation to continue on to chapter three!**

**Review, please!**


	3. Rites

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Sparrow gave Neros and Naki a look of exasperation. Neros returned a look of confusion and Naki refused to look at either of her new friends. She was thinking too hard about what would happen next.

Without any exchange of dialogue, Sparrow began to make her way to the front window. She paced herself so that she wouldn't get attacked upon nearing the door; enemies often expected their targets to charge out of the entrance in fear and curiosity. She pressed her back against the wall and peaked out the window as much as she could, expecting a bandit to be waiting for her on the other side. Much to her surprise, there was no one there. Much to her misfortune, there was so much more to behold.

There was fire spreading quickly from house to house, and dead bodies scattering the ground. She recognized the mutilated body of a little girl that she had known, and forced herself to look away.

There was a path that led straight through the small village from the nearby forest. Sparrow remembered it as a lovely path with few holes and bumps. Now there were large holes in several places, as if someone had set landmines beneath the dirt. Upon looking further down the trail, Sparrow saw what she had expected to eventually see.

_'I wished it was bandits... Oh man, I wished...' _She thought with desperation.

She looked away from the window abruptly and ushered Neros to join her. The boy, still stunned from the explosion, managed to comprehend what Sparrow wanted. He rose from hid seat and made his way to her. He was slow, as Sparrow had been, unsure of what to expect.

Naki said nothing and watched in the background, her head in her trembling hands. Her thoughts were racing and she couldn't stop shaking.

"What is it? What the hell's going on?" Neros asked, his eyes holding nothing but deep wonder and heavy anxiety. He seemed to already know the answer.

He took his post on the opposite side of the wall and peaked down the trail, his eyes following the holes in the pathway. As expected, he saw the same thing as Sparrow - the same thing he had expected. He whipped his head to face her.

"Akatsuki?" he asked, not believing his eyes, "But they can't do this... It's... It's against the law... We... We have the peace treaty with them!"

Sparrow looked at the boy like he was stupid and shook her head.

"What do you mean, 'it's against the law'? _**They're**_ against the law! Do you honestly believe that the Akatsuki, a criminal organization, is going to uphold the goddamn law!?"

Neros pondered his companion's statement for a moment before agreeing. He didn't mean for stupid things to slip out of his mouth, but sometimes he couldn't help it. Besides, he had been stunned by the heat of the moment - how could he have thought straight?

"Guess I didn't think that one through," he kept his gaze on the taller of the two men, "but what are they here for?"

Sparrow stayed at her post near the window, watching the two members make their way slowly down the path. She identified them both with ease and scowled. Her gaze travelled to the terrified Naki, who gazed back in tears.

"They're probably looking for you," she said, "It's that bastard blonde and his wooden friend. They're the ones that attacked you, right?"

Naki slammed her head against the table in defeat and moaned in pain. She believed her time to die had come. She believed that escape would be inevitable for the second time. On top of that, she had managed to bring misfortune to yet another group of people. She didn't bother answering Sparrow's question. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that this was the end.

"Oh my god..." she cried, sobbing into the table, "Oh god, I'm so sorry... I probably shou-should have died that night they ch-chased me..."

Her mind was nowhere near sane. She thought cynically, as she always did, and couldn't bring herself to look at her two new 'friends'. She didn't deserve them and they didn't deserve a premature death.

Neros cast Sparrow a look of despair as the two villains neared. She nodded to him in an authoritative manner.

"We've got no choice now." He mumbled, charging past Naki and into his room.

Sparrow stayed and kept watch at the window. She was sure they knew which house they were looking for. Why they were taking their sweet time getting to them, she did not know. She glanced over at Naki, still crying hard against the table, and sighed. The girl was emotionally weak and nervous; she didn't think like a regular girl. Her mental scars ran deep, and Sparrow found herself wanting to know more of her past. Moreover, Sparrow found herself wanting to _protect_ her.

_'She definitely needs someone solid in her life. Maybe Neros and I can help her out later on, show her she needs to get a better mirror if she thinks she's ugly.'_

Sparrow thought hard about what she wanted to do and where she wanted to be with Naki. Was she willing to be her friend, even if it meant risking her life? Was she willing to fight for her? Was she willing to care for her? Before her thoughts could run any deeper, Neros tossed her a single blade. She fumbled with it, clearly surprised at her friend's sudden appearence, but managed not to drop it. She looked at it with stupid wonder before realizing it was her master sword, the one her father had planned to grant her upon turning eighteen.

"You think we're going to die?"

Neros startled her for a second time. His eyes were stern, fear still within them. Naki was looking up from her seat, cheeks puffy and eyes red. Sparrow looked at her and then Neros, as if their faces held the answer to that horrible question.

"...Let's just get the hell out of the house before they decide to blow it up," she briefly looked out the window, "they're coming."

Without hesitating - which surprised Naki greatly - Neros kicked the front door open and sped into the battlefield, ready for a fight. Sparrow followed close behind, weapon unsheathed and thirsty for blood. She waved a hand at the saddened girl, indicating that she should come with them. Even though Naki knew she would be in more danger, even though she knew that she could die, even though she knew that she was being marked, she obeyed. She obeyed for the sake of her new friends and their safety; they didn't have to die for her.

Naki moved quickly and fled from the house, facing her parents' murderers.

The taller looked surprised to see them. The redhead looked bored. They stopped advancing and gazed at their playmates, primarily their quivering target.

"Like moths to a flame... hmn," the blonde chuckled, "you won't escape alive."

Sparrow had the nerve to roll her eyes and get into a battle stance. She was well aware of how strong the Akatsuki were and of her own strength. She figured that she would give it her all, even if she were to lose. She briefly glanced at Neros, who looked like he was trying to devise a battle strategy.

"Don't waste my time," the shorter boy growled, "give us the girl."

Naki couldn't stop shaking. She took a few steps forward and moved between Sparrow and Neros. They looked at her with questionable eyes, wondering what she was plotting. She had no weapon and appeared to have little strength; what the hell could she possibly do? Neros shoved her back with one arm and stepped closer to Sparrow. He didn't want Naki getting in the way or saying anything stupid.

"We had a peace treaty with you!" he yelled, "You had no right to-"

"_You _have no right to play the authority figure over me, boy." The redhead interrupted, clearly annoyed.

At that moment, a figure appeared behind Naki, scooped her into its arms, and carried her to her hunters. She struggled at first, unsure of who was touching her, but quickly gave up when she realized she had been captured; she wouldn't have been able to get away, regardless. She thought it was best to accept her fate. Perhaps she was meant to die in that house with her parents. Perhaps she would die soon. Perhaps she would be able to get her new friends out alive if she came quietly. She didn't want to let go, but what other choice did she have? She looked at Sparrow, whose eyes were wide with horror, and Neros's hurt expression.

"It's okay," she mouthed, sure they wouldn't hear her, "I'm sorry... I'll be okay."

Naki's eyes were watering with fear and regret. She really wanted to tell them to save her, but she knew better. They would die if they tried to face the Akatsuki; the organization's strength was infinite.

"Son of a_ bitch_..." Sparrow hissed upon looking at who had captured Naki, "I knew you were bad news."

Allerrac smirked at his former companions' expressions, proud of his trickery. The girl had been all too easy to obtain. He had expected much more of a fight. Not that he would have minded, of course, seeing as he knew he could wipe the floor with Sparrow and Neros, but an easy win was satisfying. He laughed mockingly.

"Trusting me from the beginning was your downfall! I've been Master Sasori's spy for years!" he smirked, "You're too trusting, Neros! You're a fool!"

Neros grit his teeth in shame and looked away. His fighting spirit had died and he was left with nothing but sorrow. It was his fault that Naki had been taken and he would be willing to pay the price. He looked at Sparrow, who tried to tell him it wasn't his fault with her eyes.

The blonde created a fantastic bird and hopped onto it with his partner and the traitor carrying Naki. Before they took off and left the broken village, two clay spiders were thrown at the two baffled friends. They could only jump away at the last second, but the explosion still engulfed them. Sparrow and Neros were hit hard and tossed into the roaring flames of the small village.

Naki cried out in agony as her vision faded to black.

* * *

**Authoresses' Note**

**Sorry for the long while without an update. I had a fall-out with the person I was writing this for and had no interest to update until now; I didn't want to keep my other readers waiting any longer.**

**I hope this chapter is enjoyable! It's nice to take a break and write an adventure story every now and then :)**


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